A major fire broke out at the godown where pain balm and consumer goods were stocked in huge quantity in Anna Nagar in Madurai here on Sunday morning.
Fire and Rescue services personnel fought for more than three hours to put out the flames.
Though the exact cause of the fire is not known, an electrical short circuit is suspected to have triggered the blaze.
The police said that thick smoke emanating from the ground floor of the three-storey building near Sarveswar Temple.
“We noticed smoke billowing out of the godown around 8.00 a.m. When we tried to open the shutter, heavy smoke started coming out and we immediately alerted the fire service personnel,” said N. Palanivel Murugan, 45, a resident one of the houses in the building.
Fire and Rescue services personnel led by district fire officer S. Kalyanakumar rushed to the spot but because of heavy smoke caused by chemicals the men could not go near the source of fire, the DFO said.
The firemen drilled holes on the walls and used smoke extractors to get rid of the black smoke before using fire tenders and foam tenders rushed from Madurai, Tallakulam and Anuppanadi fire stations.
The fire was put out around 11.30 a.m.
The Anna Nagar Police are investigating.
